Extended solos in songs - Are you a fan?

I've kind of had a love/hate relationship with extended solos in songs. Some are really good, and it's hard to beat it when they really nail it. But I also find the a large percentage of long solos can really be a bore... especially in a live setting where a band will eat up a good 10-15 minutes soloing during one song, which is time that could have been spent playing other songs from their catalog. Sometimes being concise with solos is an art that is lost on bands or performers.

I'm curious how others feels about long solos. For the purposes of this poll, I'm not limiting this to just guitar solos, but any other solos can apply... bass, drums, keyboards, etc.

Pick the best one or two responses that apply.

 

It really depends.

Drum solos? No thanks.

With guitarists, they have to be good. Tom Verlaine... the longer the better. The same with Richard Thompson back when he would stretch out on Night Comes In. Jimi Hendrix never bores be.

 

Extended solos are good as long as they don't go into self-indulgent wankery but it Depends on the instrument being solo'd.

I'm not completely against drum solos but if you offer me an extended drum solo I'll pass. Guitar/keys/sax solo? The longer the better

 

Steve Howe's solo on YesSongs Yours Is No Disgrace takes us out to the galactic rim and back. A solo like this you just have to be a fan.

Several of Eric Clapton's lengthy solos on Derek And The Dominos Live At The Fillmore, notably Let It Rain are lovely. Wonderful. This by the way is an album that gets entirely too little love.

 

Yes! The longer the better. They are a big reason I listen to music.
Bring on the self-indulgence!

 

A band is made up of musicians, so why wouldn't you like to hear each of them play? What constitutes "extended"? When at concerts, I like to be in the moment, not worrying about which song comes next.

Drum solo's also fall into this category. No-one likes a poor solo, but assuming competence on their instrument, it's a great way to get to experience the musician in full flight. Take as an example, the Peter Criss solo on Kiss Alive - it's musical, organic. A highlight of the album!

 

I'm always someone who have preferred vocals in songs, but songs with extended solos is the majority of the rock songs that I listen to. I love guitar solos but of course there is always a risk of it getting too wankery and self-indulgent. Choruses has always been my favourite part of a song if it's done well but solos comes close (even there it has to be done well). As long as it has vocals I'm mostly satisfied.

This of course excludes instrumental music which I've became a fan of lately.

 

It's a fine line !!!

 

Extended solos are fine in a live setting, but I prefer solos to be more concise on studio albums. But it also depends on the instrument being solo'd.

 

I'm a prog fan. So yeah, love 'em.

Not drum solos though, unless it's by a master like Neil Peart whose solos are pieces of music in their own right.

 

Hard to answer as there's so many variables, but overall I'd say yes. I absolutely love extended guitar solos at the end of songs. Think Gary Moore's Still Got the The Blues and Ritchie Blackmore at the end of Rainbow's I Surrender.

 

No explanation needed

 

Not if it's Hendrix or Peter Green or a few other faves. Gilmour too.
Drum solos have no function in my opinion, except covering for amp troubles.

 

I'm a big Frank Marino fan. Answer your question?

 

AS long as it doesn't turn into the musical equivalient of performing regular routine maintenance on one's genitals.

 

It works better with some bands/musicians than others. Skills aside, does it serve the song. Or in the case of a solo, does it actually go somewhere? With few exceptions I’d rather hear a drum solo within a song, than just a solo spotlight, like in concert. Cream did very well with the live version of Toad (Wheels Of Fire) , as did Rush with YYZ (Exit:Stage Left)...start a song, go into a solo and then back into the song for finish.

The Dead, The Allman Brothers and a few others are/were great at improvising and taking a journey each time, you never knew where they were gonna go. In the case of The Dead, would they come out of a jam into Dark Star? Or Fire On The Mountain perhaps?

I’m not as into solo spotlights as I used to be.

 

With rare and few exceptions, absolutely NO, i’m NOT a fan.

 

I like the good ones! Like A Hurricane, Cortez The Killer. I like the studio versions better than the many live versions I've heard.

 

I hate the drum solo from Let It Rain.. Not necessary IMO

 

it depends, if the song already has a long solo like Brighton Rock then sure I don't mind

if its something like the solo from Baby Its You then no

 

One of the truly greatest ever live moments captured con tape

Scorpions - We'll Burn The Sky

 

I picked the second option despite being a fan of self-indulgent wanking.

 

Extended solos approved: Richard Thompson, Neil & Crazy Horse, Allman Bros., Mark Knopfler.
Bill Evans, Dexter Gordon, Art Pepper

I once saw Willie Murphy & The Bees where Willie did a bass solo that I could have listened to for an entire set. My foggy memory says it lasted 10 minutes. (Union Bar, Minneapolis, ~ 1978). I’d love to know about other bass solos forum members have witnessed.

 

If it's a good solo, sure.

 

I enjoy em if they are part of a remix/extended version etc.
A great example would be
Jerry Harrison-Man With A Gun (Entire Chris Spedding Guitar Version), 1988